What is I-O?

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific study of working and the application of that science to workplace issues facing individuals, teams, and organizations.
The scientific method is applied to investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals, businesses, and society.

What are SIOP and I-O Psychologists?

SlOP was established in 1982 and its members, some 8,000 strong, are dedicated to applying psychology to people in the workplace. No, they are not "shrinks." Rather, their field of psychology tries to understand and measure human behavior to improve employees' satisfaction in their work, employers' ability to select and promote the best people, and to generally make the workplace better for the men and women who work there. They do this by creating tests and by designing products such as training courses, selection procedures and surveys.

Industrial and organizational psychologists direct consulting and executive search firms, work for leadership centers, corporations and companies as well as universities. And at this juncture in U.S. economic history, with highly qualified people--from the hourly wage earning ranks to executive boardrooms--being vital to business success, industrial and organizational psychologists are in position to play major roles in aiding corporations and companies manage their workforces.

I-O practitioners conduct a wide range of research and studies designed to provide information about all phases of the workplace. For example, stigmas in organizations (weight, physical attractiveness, sexual orientation, disability, religious beliefs, race); sexual harassment; the role of personality traits in the hiring process; barriers to successful employment of workers with disabilities; workplace culture, particularly when companies merge; selection of law enforcement officers; reducing absenteeism, workplace aggression; what attracts individuals to certain organizations, and the leadership behaviors of women as managers are just a few of the studies being done by I-O psychologists.